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Paul's Spinning Carousel - 180+ books in 2016
Book #70
Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
Finished 30th March 2016
103p
Why I read it: It's one of these children's classics, or so I'd heard.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Fantasy, short, novel, female, white, UK/France/Spain/Germany, 1900s, March, new, ebook, series, children.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #71
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Finished 31st March 2016
629p
Why I read it: I'd already read The Goldfinch and The Little Friend, and I liked them, so I was hardly going to pass this one up.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: General/mystery/thriller (?), long, novel, female, white, USA, 1990s, March, familiar, borrowed, standalone, adult.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Group Reads, Popsugar Reading Challenge (book about someone who has your occupation)
Book #72
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
Finished 31st March 2016
100p
Why I read it: I had an idea it was a fairly classic play, but truth be told the main reason I was interested in it was because it was on our syllabus for Leaving Certificate English (we did Hamlet instead) and I wanted to read the other texts at one point in my life.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: General, short, play, male, white, Norway/Italy/Germany, earlier, March, new, ebook, standalone, adult.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Around the World (Norway)
I haven't read any of Donna Tartt's books mostly due to the mixed reception I've heard from my reading friends. If I was going to start in on her literature, where would you recommend that I begin?
Honestly? I'm not sure. Not with The Little Friend anyway; people usually say it's her weakest, and I'd have to agree with them. It's still good, mind, it's just that it's one of those books that's high on atmosphere and theme and actual writing, mostly pretty good on character, and not so great on plot. Admittedly, all three books of hers kind of fall into those boxes not just Friend. Friend falls short more though.So then you've got The Secret History (which people mostly like I think), and then you've got The Goldfinch, the one that's really gotten mixed reception. They're both more or less very good, and fairly similar, though not that similar. I prefer The Goldfinch, but I read that last year and I'm wondering if I wouldn't like History more if I'd read that first, and if I'd like it more if I'd given it more time and not read it so soon or so quickly. On the one hand though, History's kind of weird, and you might end up hating most of the cast, and
some of the things it does The Goldfinch simply does them better for me. On the other hand, History is like way shorter, but it can still be a bit of a drag at times. As can The Goldfinch, actually, but in hindsight it's a little clearer as to where exactly The Goldfinch is going than it is in The Secret History. Though where History's going isn't really that big a mystery either.
They're all good books really, maybe even great. (The Little Friend isn't great though. Not quite. The Secret History could be. The Goldfinch basically is.) I can't really pick between History and The Goldfinch though, so all I can really say is to take a look at both and see which you like the sound of more, and to talk to your friends again to find out more about what they think on her and which one they'd suggest. Whichever one you do go for, though, enjoy! Hopefully. :)
Book #73
Bad Science by Ben Goldacre
Finished 1st April 2016
352p
Why I read it: I had more or less liked Bad Pharma and when this cropped up in a Kindle sale, I decided I'd go ahead and get it seeing as it seemed like the more well-known one and all.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Non-fiction, medium, male, white, UK, 2000s, April, familiar, ebook, standalone, adult.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Nonfiction
Book #74
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
Finished 2nd April 2016
186p
Why I read it: It was in one of those lists for children/teenagers I briefly used to pay attention to, and it looked interesting. And also familiar? Maybe? I'm not sure.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: General/coming of age, short, novel, male, white, USA, 1990s, April, new, ebook, series, young adult/children.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Award Winning Books
Book #75
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
Finished 3rd April 2016
252p
Why I read it: To work out if Colm Tóibín deserved redemption or not.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: General/coming of age/historical, medium, novel, male, white, Ireland/Spain, 2000s, April, familiar, borrowed, standalone, adult.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Award Winning Books, Léamh go Brách
Book #76
The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín
Finished 3rd April 2016
104p
Why I read it: Even though I hadn't decided I actually liked Colm Tóibín now, I got this out of the library at the same time that I got Brooklyn out, because it was there, because it was short, and because I wanted to just do it, and let go of old fears.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: General/historical, short, novel, male, white, Ireland/Spain, 2010s, April, familiar, borrowed, standalone, adult.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Léamh go Brách
Book #77
Stars Above: A Lunar Chronicles Collection by Marissa Meyer
Finished 3rd April 2016
400p
Why I read it: To say goodbye to some old friends.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Sci-fi, medium, short story collection, female, white, USA, 2010s, April, familar, ebook, series, young adult.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
I thought i was doing good with 63 awesome job Paul!
Thank you Blagica! 63 is nothing to sneeze at either though - well done! :)
Book #78
1916 Portraits and Lives by Lawrence William White (Editor), James Quinn (Editor), Patrick Maume (Contributor), David Rooney (Illustrator)
Finished 7th April 2016
315p
Why I read it: I found out through a blog that it was being offered for free for the Easter period, and it sounded interesting and relevant.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Biography/memoir, medium, nonfiction, male, white, Ireland, 2010s, April, new, ebook, standalone, adult.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Léamh go Brách, Nonfiction
Book #79
Blindness by José Saramago (translated by Giovanni Pontiero)
Finished 7th April 2016
309p
Why I read it: I found it in the library and realised "wait, I know this!"
Rating: 5/5
Categories: Dystopia, medium, novel, male, white, Portugal/Spain, 1990s, April, new, borrowed, series, adult.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Every Year (1995), Around the World (Portugal), Award Winning Books
Was this made into a movie with Julianne Moore in it?
Catherine wrote: "Was this made into a movie with Julianne Moore in it?"It was! That might be where I remembered it from, actually, though I'm not sure. EDIT: I haven't seen it, mind.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blindne...
Yep, that's the one I was thinking of. It is one of the most depressing movies I've ever seen!!
That sounds about right, honestly. Though the book was plenty hopeful in its own ways at times, even with the things that happen in the middle especially.
Book #80
The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto "Che" Guevara
Finished 9th April 2016
166p
Why I read it: Che Guevara would always have been one of those history figures I vaguely knew about, and didn't really know what was going on with him or how to find out. I did know that this book was in my library though, and I knew it was a big deal, and now that I'm trying to figure out whether I'm a Marxist or not, it seemed like the perfect year to finally pick it up and try to get to the heart of that bearded symbolic man.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Biography/memoir, short, other, male, white, Argentina/Cuba/Bolivia/Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1990s, April, new, borrowed, standalone, adult.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Around the World (Argentina), Popsugar (road trip)
Book #81
Shakespeare on Toast: Getting a Taste for the Bard by Ben Crystal
Finished 9th April 2016
272p
Why I read it: It was in a Kindle sale and looked interesting, so I almost bought it. But I didn't. Then it came up in another Kindle sale and I saw it had been revised and expanded, and it still looked interesting. So I bought it.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Other nonfiction, medium, other, male, white, UK, 2000s, April, new, ebook, standalone, adult.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Nonfiction
Book #82
The Giver (Giver Quartet, #1) by Lois Lowry
Finished 10th April 2016
204p
Why I read it: I heard about it a good lot from my USian Goodreads friends - apparently it's a children's classic? - so I kept it in mind, and picked it up in a sale a while back.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Dystopia, short, novel, female, white, USA, 1990s, April, new, ebook, series, children.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Award Winning Books, Every Year (1993)
Book #83
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
Finished 12th April 2016
214p
Why I read it: I knew Philip K. Dick was a big deal as classic SF goes, and I liked Blade Runner, and this was in my library, so I thought I'd go for it.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Sci-fi, short, novel, male, white, USA, 1960s, April, new, borrowed, standalone, adult.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, I Spy Book Edition
Book #84
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Finished 14th April 2016
353p
Why I read it: You know, I'm not sure honestly. It was in a sale of some sort, and I think I'd been hearing a number of good things about V.E. Schwab before that, so that could have been it.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Mystery/thriller, novel, female, white, USA, 2010s, April, new, ebook, standalone, adult, medium.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Recommended by Reading Challengers
Book #85
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood & The Story of a Return (Persepolis, #1-#4) by Marjane Satrapi (translated by Blake Ferris and Mattias Ripa)
Finished 15th April 2016
343p
Why I read it: The film planted a seed in my mind (though I never saw it). Bumping into this unexpectedly in the library one day finally made it grow.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Biography/memoir, comic, female, POC, Iran/Austria/France, 2000s, April, new, borrowed, standalone/series, adult, medium.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Around the World (Iran), Award Winning Books
Book #86
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Finished 16th April 2016
144p
Why I read it: A good few of my internet acquaintances remembered loving it growing up, so I kept it in mind.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Historical, novel, female, white, USA, 1980s, April, familiar, ebook, standalone, children, short.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Award Winning Books
Book #87
Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth
Finished 19th April 2016
487p
Why I read it: It was a hot YA thing sometime back, so I was probably bound to get to it eventually.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Dystopia/coming of age, novel, female, white, USA, 2010s, April, new, borrowed, series, young adult, medium.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Award Winning Books, Recommended by Reading Challengers, Popsugar (dystopia)
Book #88
Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins, #1) by P.L. Travers
Finished 19th April 2016
195p
Why I read it: It came up in a Kindle sale and I was like "Ah yeah, Mary Poppins!!" So I bought it.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Fantasy, novel, female, white, Australia/UK/Ireland, 1930s, April, new, ebook, series, children, short.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Award Winning Books
Book #89
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Finished 20th April 2016
433p
Why I read it: I've no idea to be honest. Mostly it was because one of my Internet friends would have been reading it once and made it sound pretty good. I still probably wouldn't have bought it if it hadn't come up in a Kindle sale one day, though it was in my library in a fairly proud of place. Oddly enough I'd no idea it got shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize til really recently, though finding that out and finding out I've been reading that entire shortlist without knowing it (what can I say, my library's pretty good) has inspired me to finally(ish) read We Need New Names and Harvest this summer.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: General/mystery/thriller/coming of age/historical/biography/memoir/sci-fi/fantasy (magical realism/metafictional) [no really, I'm basically not kidding], female, POC, USA/Canada/Japan, 2010s, April, new, ebook, standalone, adult, medium, novel.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Around the World (Japan), Award Winning Books, I Spy, Every Year (2013), Recommended by Reading Challengers
Book #90
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Finished 22th April 2016
386p
Why I read it: It was in a list I used to pay attention to. It seemed interesting.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: General nonfiction/true crime, male, white, USA, 1990s, April, new, borrowed, standalone, adult, medium, nonfiction.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, I Spy, Popsugar, Award Winning Books
Book #91
So You Want to Be a Wizard (Young Wizards, #1) by Diane Duane
Finished 24th April 2016
336p
Why I read it: Mark Reads Young Wizards got me wanting to reread this.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Fantasy, female, white, USA/Ireland, 1980s, April, familiar, audiobook, series, children, medium, reread, novel.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #92
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Finished 24th April 2016
338p
Why I read it: It showed up in a Kindle sale and I must have known it was a modern classic. Didn't I? It's been so long ago by now that I don't even remember. Oh well.
Rating: 5/5
Categories: General, female, POC, India, 1990s, April, new, ebook, standalone, adult, medium, novel.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Every Year (1997), Award Winning Books, I Spy
Book #93
The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell
Finished 26th April 2016
341p
Why I read it: I liked The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, and this was in my library.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: General/historical, female, white, Ireland/UK, 2010s, April, familiar, borrowed, standalone, adult, medium, novel.
Challenges: Award Winning Books, Léamh go Brách, Let's Turn Pages
Book #94
Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories by Elizabeth Strout
Finished 26th April 2016
280p
Why I read it: It was in a Kindle sale, and it told me it had won the Pulitzer Prize. I'd never heard of it, but I was pretty powerless to resist it.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: General, female, white, USA, 2000s, April, new, ebook, standalone, adult, medium, short story collection.
Challenges: Award Winning Books, Let's Turn Pages, Every Year (2007)
Book #95
Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich
Finished 29th April 2016
320p
Why I read it: I needed a book for the Popsugar challenge about a main character with my occupation, and I remembered this thing. Though I eventually went with The Secret History instead.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: "True" crime, male, white, USA, 2000s, April, new, borrowed, standalone, adult, medium, nonfiction/novel/"faction".
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #96
Interesting Times(Discworld #17, Rincewind #5) by Terry Pratchett
Finished 29th April 2016
353p
Why I read it: Mark Oshiro was reading it.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Fantasy, male, white, UK, 1990s, April, familiar, borrowed, series, adult, medium, novel.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages
Book #97
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
Finished 29th April 2016
126p
Why I read it: I wanted new Shakespeare for a challenge, and this was on my mind.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Classics/fantasy, male, white, UK, earlier, April, familiar, ebook, standalone, adult, short, play.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, the Bard
Book #98
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Finished 30th April 2016
106p
Why I read it: I just felt like reading it again. Admittedly it wasn't the best scheme I'd ever laid, but at least it didn't gang agley.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: General, male, white, USA, 1930s, April, familiar, physical, reread, standalone, adult, short, novella.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Award Winning Books
Book #99
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1) by Stieg Larsson (translated by Steven T. Murray)
Finished 4th May 2016
538p
Why I read it: It's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was going to happen some time, right?
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Mystery/thriller, male, white, Sweden, 2000s, May, new, ebook, series, adult, long, novel.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Award Winning Books, I Spy, Around the World (Sweden), Every Year (2005), Recommended by Reading Challengers, 10,000 Challenge, Celebrate: The Soundtrack, Mayrathon
Book #100
Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan
Finished 5th May 2016
464p
Why I read it: I kept seeing it in the library and was taken with its greyscale cover and bold white text. Then I found out it won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography this year, went "!!!", and ran out the next day to get it.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Biography/memoir, male, white, USA/South Africa, 2010s, May, new, borrowed, standalone, adult, medium, nonfiction.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Award Winning Books, Celebrate: The Soundtrack, Mayrathon
Book #101
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley
Finished 7th May 2016
272p
Why I read it: It cropped up on a list I used to pay attention to; I would've got rid of it, but it was in my library, I needed a fairytale retelling for Popsugar, and my friends like Robin McKinley, so I kept it.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Fantasy, female, white, USA/UK/Japan, 1970s, May, new, borrowed, standalone, children, medium, novel.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Celebrate: The Soundtrack, Mayrathon, Popsugar (book based on a fairytale)
Book #102
Skulduggery Pleasant (Skulduggery Pleasant, #1) by Derek Landy
Finished 7th May 2016
410p
Why I read it: My cousin liked it!
Rating: 3/5
Categories: Fantasy, male, white, Ireland, 2000s, May, new, ebook, series, children, medium, novel.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Award Winning Books, Mayrathon, Popsugar (book recommended by family member), Léamh go Brách
Book #103
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Finished 8th May 2016
258p
Why I read it: I felt like reading it again.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: General/historical, male, POC, Japan/UK, 1980s, May, familiar, physical, standalone, adults, medium, novel, reread
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Award Winning Books, Mayrathon
Book #104
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt
Finished 10th May 2016
328p
Why I read it: I felt like reading it again.
Rating: 3/5
Categories: General/historical/Western, male, white, Canada/USA, 2010s, May, familiar, physical, standalone, adults, medium, novel, reread.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Award Winning Books, Mayrathon, Special 10,000 Challenge (US History)
Book #105
The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney
Finished 11th May 2016
384p
Why I read it: An exciting highly-praised new novel by a new Irishwoman author, set where I live? Sign me up!
Rating: 4/5
Categories: General/thriller, female, white, Ireland, 2010s, May, new, borrowed, standalone, adults, medium, novel.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Popsugar (home state), Léamh go Brách, 10,000 Challenge (World Geography), Mayrathon
How are you getting so many books done??? I'm soooo jealous! Do you ever sleep?
Book #106
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Finished 11th May 2016
304p
Why I read it: It came up in a Kindle sale and it seemed pretty familiar (I think at least one of my friends had read it recently?), so I looked it out and it had tons of praise and things attached to it.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: General/historical/mystery/thriller, female, POC, USA, 2010s, May, new, ebook, standalone, adults, medium, novel.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Award Winning Books, Mayrathon, Every Year (2014), I Spy
Catherine wrote: "How are you getting so many books done??? I'm soooo jealous! Do you ever sleep?"Sometimes! ;) (That you say it though, I probably don't get as much sleep as I really should most of the time.)
Really all it is is always making time for reading, having lots of it (or at least more than I had - I finished college exams a week ago), and reading more or less reasonably quickly. I can do like 80 pages an hour in a bad session I think without feeling like I'm rushing anything. Granted I might not be able to keep up this new pace I'm hoping for because my parents want me to get into summer work for the summer, and I have a job and a move to prepare for afterwards, but even with that I should still get a fair bit done. :)
(Now if only I had the time/courage to write reviews :/ It's not like I'm short of ideas...)
I really am jealous. You're doing great! Everything I Never Told You is in my pile of books I hope to read yet this year.
Catherine wrote: "I really am jealous. You're doing great! Everything I Never Told You is in my pile of books I hope to read yet this year."
Thanks! And good luck to you too. :)
It's very good all right - not as good as The God of Small Things admittedly, which it's kind of like but not completely, but that really isn't a bad thing at all. Imitation is the sincerest and all that. (It's one of Celeste Ng's favourite books apparently. I'm honestly not surprised.)
2025 Reading Challenge
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Book #69
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
Finished 27th March 2016
288p
Why I read it: It won the Carnegie Medal a few years back.
Rating: 4/5
Categories: Dystopia/mystery/thriller, medium, novel, female, white, UK, 2010s, March, new, ebook, standalone, young adult.
Challenges: Let's Turn Pages, Around the World (UK)